Protect Our Meat!

Canadians deserve honesty at the grocery store — and this week’s news proves it. After attempting to remove cloned meat and lab-grown “cellular agriculture” products from the novel food category — a move that would have eliminated mandatory labelling — Health Canada has now paused its proposed policy update following significant public backlash.

This pause is not a reversal. It is a temporary retreat. As the Department itself now states, foods derived from cloned cattle and swine will remain subject to novel food assessment until further notice. That is the standard Canadians rely on for transparency, safety, and informed choice — and it must not be quietly abandoned later.

We are demanding that Health Canada and Minister Marjorie Michel uphold existing regulations and permanently classify cloned and lab-grown meat as novel foods, maintaining mandatory, honest labelling for all such products sold in Canada. If producers like DuBreton can voluntarily commit to transparency, the federal government has no excuse for secrecy.

This campaign isn’t against science or innovation. It is rooted in a simple principle: you have the right to know what you’re feeding your family. If these products are “as safe as conventional food,” as officials claim, then clear labels should be welcomed — not avoided.

Canadians are speaking up. Now it’s time for the government to listen. Tell Minister Michel to keep cloned and lab-grown meat under novel food regulations, mandate transparent labelling, and restore public trust.

9,118 signatures

Goal: 10,000 signatures

Health Canada attempted to approve cloned and lab-grown meat for Canadian grocery stores without mandatory labelling — but after significant backlash, the Department has now paused the policy update. For the moment, these products remain classified as novel foods, with mandatory assessment still required. We call on Minister Marjorie Michel to make that pause permanent by formally maintaining the novel food designation so that clear, honest labelling stays mandatory. If these products are truly as safe as claimed, Health Canada should have no hesitation about putting that information directly on the package.